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Lauds passage of straight reauthorization of Undetectable Firearms Act as first step, but more action is needed

Washington, D.C.— Today, Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) introduced the Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act, which would require that certain major components of plastic firearms are made of non-removable detectable metal or steel. Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) is an original cosponsor of the bill. Rep. Israel was also the lead cosponsor of a straight 10-year reauthorization of the current Undetectable Firearms Act, which was passed unanimously on the floor of the House.

Rep. Israel said, “I am pleased that the House passed a 10-year reauthorization of the Undetectable Firearms Act, which expires on December 10th. I fully supported this legislation and was a lead cosponsor because I believe it is an essential first step in keeping Americans safe from the threat of plastic guns. However, I don’t believe a straight reauthorization of the current law goes far enough, which is why today I introduced legislation that would close a dangerous loophole that exists in the current law by requiring plastic guns to be made with certain non-removable metal parts so they can be detected by metal detectors.”

The Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act includes all the components of the current law, but would also require that two major components for a handgun (the slide/cylinder and the receiver) and three major components for a long gun, such as a rifle or a shotgun (the slide, receiver and barrel), be made of detectable and non-removable metal.

The reauthorization of the Undetectable Firearms Act, H.R. 3626, which was passed by voice vote on the floor today, simply reauthorizes the current law, which is set to expire on December 10th. This law makes it illegal to manufacture, own, transport, buy, or sell any firearm that is not detectable by metal detector. It also requires that plastic guns consist of at least 3.7 ounces of metal. However, a loophole exists as the law does not specify whether the metal has to be permanently part of the plastic firearm or can be removable.